The Zenith Terror
by JediAnn Solo
Summary: Just a few days before her thirteenth birthday party, Amy Rose disappears, only to reawaken in a world where she no longer has control of her own actions. [HIATUS]
1. Prologue

_Disclaimer: I own not, so you sue not._

**- Prologue -**

Doctor Eggman Robotnik smiled wickedly to himself as he walked among the desert land where his new base had once been located. It was now practically obliterated, but that did not seem to matter; for there was something much more pleasing to him that has happened among it.

He had finally succeded in defeating the Sonic Heroes.

The ultimate weapon he had preserved to perfect for years was finally unleashed and they all fell at its merciless clutches. He had dubbed it the _Zenith Terror_. Eggman smiled even wider, recalling when he had thought of this plan and put it into action. His only regret is that he should have done it sooner! Even Shadow the Hedgehog, the so-called "ultimate life-form", could not have caused as much damage and despair to his archenemies. The manipulation was quick and the result was more than satisfying.

As he trotted through the sand, Eggman scoffed when stumbling upon one of the victims. Young innocent Miles Prower lay at the madman's feet, one of his legs twisted into a sickly position. Both his tails were no better-- bleeding excessively, most of their beautiful golden fur callously yanked from them. The child was still very much alive, but terribly helpless. Only the rapid rise and fall of his chest, his soft whimpering and hisses of pain showed signs of his consciousness. The evil doctor shrugged and passed over the little fox, knowing that he was in no condition to be able to walk or fly away. He would let him suffer a bit more before his extermination.

He looked up at the sky, trying to calculate how many hours had passed. The Egg Carrier -his only matter of escape left- hovered close to the ground. The sun has recently set, giving the heavens a peaceful, pastel color. A rare moment in the day when it was neither day nor night. It was soothing and lovely. Hard to believe so much slaughter had happened right under it.

Knuckles also lay prostrate on the ground, two deep, infected wounds at his side growing worse as the desert sand blew into them. Completely unmoving, the echidna appeared to have lost consciousness some time ago; his usually tighened fists limp. Eggman also passed him by (but not before smirking at his direction), not really caring to see in what condition he was. There was only one victim that was on his mind right now...

---

Sonic the Hedgehog groaned miserably. He got up on his left knee, slow and steady. His body covered in small, open cuts... large bruises that were a horrendous black color against his cobalt blue fur... his right foot was suffering from a few broken bones... but it definitely wasn't something the big hero couldn't handle. Eventually, Sonic stood as upright as he possibly could, tightening the grip around his waist with his uninjured right arm. His stomach lurched in protest, having suffered enough punches and kicks in the gut to suddenly go back into a battle stance so soon. With tired half-lidded eyes, he searched the horizon for any ally that still stood; but he found none. He found himself worrying about Tails... he had gone off alone to stop that horrible menace that was unleashed within--

All of a sudden, a chill runs down our hero's quilled back and he instantly forgets what he was worried about. His ears twitch lightly as a long dark shadow loomed over him, despite the lack of sunshine or moonlight. Slowly turning around with a hateful scowl, he faces Eggman. Sonic seethes when seeing the madman's insane but gleeful expression. He bared his teeth in anger and wiped his bloody lower lip, initiating a glaring standoff. This went on for about ten seconds before the silence was broken by a loud wail. Both Eggman and Sonic lifted their heads, startled at the cry. The latter immediately recognized who the voice belonged to and started to limp past the doctor and towards it.

"Hold on, Tails," Sonic cried out, though not loud enough to reach the kit's ears. "I'm coming for you!" For the first time in the midst of a critical situation, Eggman was no longer his first priority. At this moment, all the blue hedgehog could think of was how his 'little bro' was in danger. His own injuries were forgotten up until he was shoved to the ground and the sting in his foot was reawakened. He let out a sharp hiss when falling flat on his stomach over a piece of rubble.

Eggman chortled to himself, obviously enjoying this. He shoved him again with the end of his foot, flipping the hero over on his back. A desert breeze blew sand right into Sonic's eyes and mouth, causing him to blink and cough furiously. This makes Eggman laugh even harder. "Well, well," he began, his malevolent grin still intact. "Look who's eating dust now!" he mocked, recalling all the similar taunts Sonic had thrown his way countless times before. "Don't mind that little rat, hedgehog. This is between you and me and if you try to do otherwise, he'll suffer the same fate as your little pink friend."

Sonic propped his elbows against the ground and sat up the best he could. His usually confident face was twisted into one of pure hatred, tears mechanically rolling down his face because of the sand in his eyes. "Do whatever you want or say whatever empty threats you've got!" he spat. "No matter what you do, I'll always returnuntil Imake you regret it. I'm not afraid of you!"

"That may be..." the evil doctor began lowly. Sonic's face remained in a scowl, but his heart palpitated in a wave of worry. Eggman's tone was oddly calm and his eyes read deep anticipation. "But there is someone who may take that position."

As if on cue, a menacing silhouette loomed into the scene, approaching Eggman from behind and clearly in the sights of Sonic. The silhouette of the Zenith Terror. Without even realizing what he was doing, the blue hedgehog began to crabwalk away backwards, his face beholding pure horror. No, he couldn't face _that _again. That terrible, inhuman power that thrashed his friends. That inhuman strengh that somehow defeated the Ulitmate Lifeform before his very eyes. Inhuman carelessness he thought he would never see in someone like her.

The Zenith Terror... was Amy Rose.

Eggman chuckled at Sonic's pathetic reaction and walked back a few steps, knowing this might get very messy. A soulless Amy approached what used to be her hero and knight in shining armor and grabbed him by the throat, lifting his head above her with barely any effort. Sonic tried to escape the grip or fight back, but that dark, empty look in her once emerald eyes was enough to paralyze anyone that had once known her old sweet, innocent self. With his left foot, he kicked hard at her stomach and she barely flinched, just gripping his neck even tighter until the hero changed into a paler shade of blue. He tried to plead her to snap out of it, but what came out of his dried lips was just a puny wheeze. Amy began to cackle lightly, joined by Eggman seconds later.

"Well, my assistant," Eggman referred to Amy. "If you'd do the honors?"

Without letting her eyes stray away from Sonic's, she nodded in response and with her unoccupied hand, she pulled out a large handgun-- probably a .44 caliber, by its size.Without even having the slightest hint of hesitation, she buried the barrel into his forehead and smirked. Sonic, however, did not show any further sign of fear and closed his eyes, silently forgiving her for the mistake she was about to make and apologizing for not rescuing her soon enough. She was under Eggman's control now. And it was all his fault.

"So long, hedgehead," Eggman couldn't help but say as he watched the pink hedgehog reach for the trigger.

BANG.


	2. Chapter 1

_A/N: The actual story takes place **four days before **the prologue_

**- Chapter 1: Misguided Conscience -**

Sighing in frustration for the fourth time that same hour, Knuckles the Echidna ran a hand through his thick hair and read the note over again. He sat on the coffee table in Amy Rose's house, holding a piece of fancy, rose-printed stationary he had found that morning. Behind him, Cream Rabbit lied curled up on the magenta couch, several tears running down her face and trying to control her hyperventilation. On either side of her sat Big the Cat and Tails, two of her best friends next to Amy. Big rubbed her back soothingly while Tails shared comforting words with the little rabbit girl, but nothing could console her. She covered her face with her hands, trying to shut away everything that was happening. She desperately waited for Knuckles to say something... something of good news.

Finally, the red echidna stood and turned to face them, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, Cream," he began, lowering his gaze to the ground-- his face not filled with saddness like the others, but anger. "I can't find any new clues other than what we already know."

"Which _is_?" Tails questioned.

"That something's not right," he answered under his breath as he handed the note to Tails. The situation was confusing and stressful enough as it was, but Cream's dispair over it was giving him a lot of extra pressure. He did not blame her, of course. She was just a child and her reaction was quite understandable, if not unreasonable. Knuckles rubbed his temples and checked the wall clock across the room. _'Sonic should be here by now,'_ he thought. _'He may think mysteries are a real bore, but when it comes to his friends in danger, he never bails out of them.'_ He glanced over at Cream, the child still keeping her face hidden. He put his gloved hand on her shoulder, causing her to look up from her fetal position. "Don't cry, Cream. We're not saying these things to scare you... it's just that I don't think there's anything else I can do on my own," he tried to explain.

Big nodded strongly. "He's right, Cream," the cat said with his slow, jolly voice. "We gotta put our heads together to find Amy... we just need more heads!" He chuckled at his own comment.

Cream giggled lightly and wiped most of her tears away from her drenched cheeks. "It's okay, Mr. Knuckles," she said sweetly, though a bit quavery from all her crying. "Thanks for helping me feel better." She sat up on the couch and tenderly hugged the kneeling echidna in front of her. Knuckles smiled and awkwardly hugged the little bunny girl back and this tender little moment lasted a few seconds. But then Big wanted to join too and stood up, grabbing the both of them into a big bear hug. Cream laughed, sitting on the purple cat's arm and feeling a bit better, but Knuckles had been grabbed by the neck and was getting choked. "Big... BIG! CAN'T... BREATHE!"

What's worse, there was a flash and the sound of a snapshot being taken. Knuckles turned his head as far as it could go and spotted Rouge the Bat holding a disposable camera and grinning widely. "Aww! That's one for the memory album!" she said laughing whilst watching the echidna trying to wriggle himself free. Big lets go, accidentally dropping Knuckles hard onto the floor. Rouge laughed even harder. "Oh man, what a riot! I gotta start hangin' around you guys more often!" She snapped another photo of him sprawled on the ground before he had time to react. Knux looked like he was ready to complain/scream about how immature and annoying she was being when he noticed there were others behind her.

"Hey, guys. Sorry I'm late," Sonic said, walking past Rouge. "But I wanted to go look for Rouge and Shadow." As he said this, Shadow stepped out from behind Sonic and Rouge and made himself comfortable on a dining room chair away from the group but still in a good listening range. No one really seemed to mind; he was often secluded that way. "After all," Sonic continued. "What better way to deal with an obscure mystery than with someone obscure and someone mysterious?"

"Ha-ha." Rouge groaned. Shadow silently voiced his sarcasm by rolling his eyes.

Seeing his joke wasn't as well-received as he thought it would be, he went straight to be point. "So, what's this note thing all about?" The cobalt blue hedgehog eyed all the members of this odd reunion, searching for an answer. Rouge and Knuckles sat on opposite sides of the living room coffee table. Shadow leaned back on the wooden chair, a good distance away from everyone else. Sonic raised an eyebrow at the sight of a puffy-eyed Cream being cradled by Big. It wasn't until he saw Tails that this pregnant pause came to an end. "Is this it?" he asked as he snatched the paper off the two-tailed fox's hands. The little mechanic had been concentrating hard on finding a code within the note and shot Sonic a dirty look.

Sonic's eyes quickly scanned the messege in the delicate piece of paper. Slowly, and almost dramatically, his collected smirked changed into a frown.

_Dear Sonic and Co.:_

_I recently decided to cancel my party. Sorry I couldn't tell you guys face to face,_

_but I have been invited to one of the biggest family reunions in the history of... family_

_reunions! Tee-hee! I'll be able to see my folks again after all these years and it was an_

_opportunity I couldn't pass out. The tickets they mailed me were for tonight, so I had_

_to leave right away. Call ya when I get there and see you in a few weeks!_

_Love, Amy._

The only thing that could have fooled him was that the handwriting matched Amy's exactly-- right up to the hearts on top of the 'i's. But everything else could not check out. The "Sonic and Co.", especially. Who writes that? Amy would never... EVER cancel her thirteenth birthday party. She's been planning it since she turned ten! Plus, if she really did have to go to a family reunion, it didn't matter if she had to leave that very same day. She'd fill up everybody's voicemail with peppery messages about how exited she was. This note was a bunch of hooey... and there was only one explanation for it.

"Eggman..."

--- Meanwhile ---

The pink hedgehog, Amy Rose, paced around her tiny cell anxiously, quickly starting to lose patience. It has been almost three days since she had last seen a living soul. Nothing but robots and other artificial intelligence units passed by her prison. She had been captured by Eggman, no doubt... his logo was written all over this dreadful place. But she had not laid eyes on the man for the longest time... not even in the night when she was kidnapped in her very house! She did not remember much from that night except becoming unconscious under the influence of a gastric chemical and being carried away in cold, robotic arms. Next thing she knew, she was here in this cage. _'The nerve of the doctor!' _Amy thought angrily. _'He didn't even come to gloat once so I could tell him off!'_

Amy's legs grew weary and she leaned against the metal bars, letting out a quivering sigh. She looked past her cell and right across the room where her piko piko hammer lay behind some sort of light blue force field as if it was placed there just to tease her. Even if she were to escape from this cage, she would be weaponless against Eggman's robot army. She let out another sigh... the urge to cry was increasing. _'Why hasn't anyone come for me yet?'_ she'd whisper at the brink of tears.

It was so dark and quiet. All she could hear was the hum of machines and the drumming of her fingers on the metal floor. She had not eaten since her kidnapping, which was very strange. Dr. Eggman may be the villain, but he had always cared enough to keep his victims alive and healthy no matter the punishment that would soon come. No robot ever came down to offer her supper or water. Amy tried to swallow, but her mouth was too dry. She breathed through her nose so to not aggravate her throat and she lied down on her side. The floor panels were like ice against her skin and she tried to pull her small red skirt as far down as possible to cover her exposed legs. She did not have her long rubber boots on because she was preparing to head to bed right before she was taken away. Instead, she had light blue fuzzy slippers that she had borrowed from her best friend Cream, but forgot to give them back. It was hard to fight off the cold and the pain of hunger at once, so she tried to close her eyes and relax... to think happy, warm thoughts... about her friends, the beach... she slowly began to drift away.

But suddenly came a sound that made Amy jolt and her heart skipped a beat.

Footsteps.

She gasped and stood up quickly... a bit too quickly. The sudden movement gave her a head rush and she would have fallen over if she hadn't made a grab for the cell bars in front of her. She leaned against them and searched the large, dark room for whoever had entered the area. With all of her heart, she hoped that it was her blue knight, Sonic. Oh, how she just wanted to jump into his arms to be sped away to safety. Surely, it was him who had come to save her! "Sonic?" she cried out happily, finally seeing a silhouette appear against the dimly, purple-lit walls. But alas, she had spoken too soon. Her hopeful smile turned into a scowl when she recognized that tall, long limbed, obese figure.

"Eggman!" she growled under her breath as the evil doctor stepped out of the shadows. She blinked confused when seeing that he did not have his usual malevolent grin, but a strange, neutral look like that of a robot's. In his hands, he held a tray with two steaming mugs. Amy's stomach groaned loudly when she caught a whiff of what was in those mugs. She could smell the aroma of soup and her once dry mouth watered once more. She gazed up at the man, suddenly feeling like she did not have the strength to yell at him or just say anything at all. Right now, she could only think about how hungry she was.

"So sorry your stay here isn't as luxurious as previous times, Ms. Rose," Eggman said in a bored, but quite sincere tone. "But accomodations are quite uncomfortable for all of us since we recently moved to a brand new base of operations."

Amy cleared her throat between clenched teeth. "Ruh... really?" she said, barely listening at all; her emerald green eyes still fixated on the tray. Eggman slipped each piece of aliment through the bars one by one, starting with a warm bread roll that was a bit bigger than Amy's curled fist. She held it like a nugget of gold, but then felt unsure about this odd show of tenderheartedness. _'Don't do it, Ames,'_ she initially thought to herself. _'For all you know, it could be poison... or worse: truth serum! He's acting way too nice...'_ Unfortunately for her good conscience, her stomach won this battle. She ate the roll contently, taking her time to taste its sweet, flaky crust. After going so long without eating, it tasted like a little piece of heaven. When the two mugs were placed inside her cell, she sighed blissfully at its contents. One contained a small serving of vegetable soup and another had some delicious-looking hot chocolate. This time, she did not think twice; she grabbed the cup of soup and sipped it empty, feeling precious warmth coming back to her body.

Dr. Eggman observed the young hedgehog girl eat and drink everything she had been given down to the last crumb and drop. He rubbed his hands together and beamed at the kneeling Amy as she finished the rest of the hot chocolate. "Was it to the little lady's liking?" he asked.

For a moment, Amy had forgotten where she was. She stared ahead blankly and it took a few seconds to realize she had just been fed by the evil doctor himself. Normally, she wouldn't have overlooked that he had let her starve for three days first, but that was the last thing on her mind right now. She awkwardly nodded her head yes and as much as it pained her to say it, she uttered a meek, but polite "thanks."

By now, Eggman decided not to take this act any further. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a key as he hid a crooked devious smile the best he could. Amy gasped silently as she watched the doctor open her cell and step aside. Unless she was mistaken, it was a sure gesture for her to step out. She stood reluctantly and stuck her head out of the cell, half-expecting something to drop from the ceiling and attack her. But nothing unusual happened. When she fully stepped out of the cell, Eggman closed it behind her and began to walk in the direction he had first entered... another vague gesture to follow him. And Amy did so. It's not like she had anywhere else to go. There was no other way out of the room.

As she walked behind him, the meek and helpless self she couldn't help but be began to vanish now that she was starting to feel much better. "I don't even know why you bother, Eggman," she said, a little smirk forming in her lips. "Sonic is just gonna find your base, come rescue me and kick your sorry eggbutt; just like he always does."

Dr. Eggman stopped walking without warning. "Oh?" Amy stopped abruptly and stepped back a few paces as well, almost bumping into his legs. His body was only inches away from the locked, vault-like door, yet he attempted nothing to open it. He simply stood there... his shoulders hunched. Amy started to get awfully nervous just standing behind him, watching his back and shoulders shake the same way someone does when trying to hold back laughter. Reaching for his pocket, he punched a code into a remote device he pulled out and the giant metallic door slowly began to open. Over the loud sliding metal noise the vault door made, the pink hedgehog heard her enemy's voice turn back to its horrible, venomous tone. "But that's where you're wrong, Ms. Rose..." Without warning, he reached for the girl's arm, clutched it tightly and started to drag her past the door.

Scared half to death, Amy screamed, hurting from the man's large hand crushing her arm, but mostly angry at herself for letting her guard down. It was as if the doctor had manipulated her into doing so-- it was terribly unlike her! She struggled against him, punched at his arm with her free hand and tried to reach his legs for a kick in the shins. But it was hopeless. She started to tear up again as she looked back to the she had been previously held in. Her hammer still stood there. In a terrible tantrum, she roared and stomped her feet. It was out of her control. The powerless hedgehog girl was now being taken to who knows where and she had a deep feeling none of her friends knew where she was.

Her eyes full of tears, she was no longer trying to hold them back._ 'Why hasn't anyone come for me yet?'_


	3. Chapter 2

**- Chapter 2: Vague Theories -**

"It's Eggman!" Sonic repeated. "It's gotta be!"

Knuckles groaned and rolled his eyes. "_Duh_ Sherlock!" he said in a voice unlike his own, mocking his friend's obvious statement. Tails and Rouge giggled quitely to themselves and Knux continued to explain. "We've already assumed that! What we _don't_ know is what, where and why!" Still sitting, he snatched the paper from Sonic's hand in the same brisk manner the hedgehog had previously done to Tails. "See, Eggman went through enough trouble to actually feign Amy's handwriting so it would look convicing..."

"...Instead of the typewritten, Eggman-stamp messege he usually leaves behind," Tails finished.

Knuckles nodded and continued. "No threats of world domination, no clues on what his intentions are, no directions on where to go, no spontaneous evil laughter--"

"Thank God..." Shadow muttered sardonically.

"Nothing but a quick little note and the fact that most of Amy's stuff is all gone."

So that's what seemed different! Sonic did a double take on his surroundings and saw several things missing. From across the hall, Amy's bedroom door was left wide open, revealing an empty closet and an unmade bed. Her room's adorable strawberry pink walls were not as cheery and light as they would always seem with her around. In the living room area, all of Amy's pictures were gone, too. Even the one that used to hang on the hallway wall. It was a picture of Amy right in the middle of tackling Sonic, grinning insanely while the male hedgehog was looking awfully shocked/traumatized. It was her favorite. They were all the things she might have taken on a faraway trip. _'Well played, Robotnik,' _Sonic thought to himself. He paced around the living room couch, hands folded in front of him as his eyes remained on his echidna friend. So far, he's the one who's had all the ideas and quite frankly, Sonic didn't want to do any of the thinking.

This time, Rouge reached over and snatched the paper away from Knuckles to read it herself (boy this is getting repetitive). She read through it quickly and scoffed. "Definitely like Eggman to not think this all the way through. I mean, he got nothing right about her personality! Well, except for her sense of humor," she muttered, recalling that stupid 'history of family reunions' line. She grazed a gloved finger around the paper print roses as she was pulled deep into thought. The pause was long and unnerving. Yet when she ultimately spoke again, she said the following more to herself than to the others. "This is something big..."

Cream looked up at the bat girl curiously. "What do you mean, Ms. Rouge?" she asked meekly, slightly afraid of the answer.

Rouge glanced around her and saw Cream was not the only the only one with this question in their minds. Everyone leaned in to listen, expecting an accurate explanation from her. She simply shrugged in an opening gesture. "It's just a hunch, but don't you think the reason Eggman doesn't want to be found is because he is in need of time? To create something way beyond all the evil we have already faced?" The white bat suddenly stands without a warning causing everyone to jump back. Her face holds an expression of disbelief, for it was like she had just spoken a revelation to herself. "If that's true, we shouldn't be standing around here!" In a brisk movement, she grabs the red echidna's elbow from across the table and starts pulling him towards the entrance of the house. She only looks back to call Shadow. "Come on, Shad! We're starting a search party!"

Shadow shifts in his seat and glares at her. "Since when are you the boss of me?" he retorted, quite obviously having a bad day. Rouge couldn't tell if he was being serious or just joking around, but she shot back an evil glare that would have split his head in half if she had the power to do so. Feeling utterly defeated somewhat, Shadow got up with a bored scowl, following a strong-willed Rouge and a terribly flustered Knuckles out the door. The currently, slow-gearing mind of Sonic latterly grasped onto the fact that those three were on their way to an adventure... without him! So with an audiable gasp, he rocketed out the door behind them at the speed of sound. The gust he had created slammed the door shut behind him, leaving Cream, Tails and Big on their own inside the shuddersome empty house of Amy Rose.

The silence that followed was almost terrifying to the poor little rabbit girl. Everything seemed to echo in the large living room; even the soft sound of her foot nervously tapping against the thick pink and magenta carpet. She made small noise -a combination of a hum and a groan in her throat- and slowly turned to Tails. "Do you think we should go after them?" she asked barely above a whisper. She felt guilty knowing her best friend was in possible great danger and she was doing nothing about it.

Tails stifled a laugh; not on her account or Amy's, but thinking about the others. "All Rouge will be doing is hauling Sonic, Knuckles and Shadow into circles around town before she realizes that they need a lead to find Amy." He hops off the couch and retrieves the 'kidnapping' note that had been dropped on the floor. "And that's where we come in!" he added with a boastful smile, hands on his hips.

Cream gasped in excitement, all sorrow now replaced with hope. "You know where she is?" she squealed clasping her hands together.

The two-tailed fox coughed and 'sweatdropped'. "Erm, no..." he muttered, scratching the back of his head. He began to stutter another sentence when noticing Cream's eyes beginning to moisten again. "Bu-bu-but! But I _do _have an idea!" he said, waving his arms in front of him, urging her to listen. He definitely didn't want to be responsible for getting her all teared up again.

Big, who had kind of fazed out of the conversation earlier, was curious about the young fox's intentions. "What's the idea?" he drawled.

Tails grinned. In his young mind, some things were best left as a surprise. "You'll see. C'mon, follow me!" he bounded towards the door and held it open for Big and Cream to go through.

Before going outside himself, he took one last look at the untouched house. He heaved a long sigh, already missing Amy's presence in the group. It was just never the same without a member of the team, no matter who it was. Eyes downward, he remembered to lock the door and gently closed it. Since he was currently lost in his own little world, he almost didn't notice Big's large hand hoisting him up on his left shoulder. Cream sat on the opposite shoulder, staring into Tails' downcast eyes. Despite her age, her wisdom went beyond that. She could sense he had the very same grief she held, but he was apparently afraid to share it. The cute rabbit felt compelled to help him with this... explain to him there was nothing wrong with expressing a heavy heart. But it had to be another day.

Snapping out of it, Tails placed a hand over the purple cat's head and smiled weakly. "Thanks, Big. Let's head over to Sonic's house."

"Okie-Dokie," Big said, walking across the street with a bounce in his step.

Tails couldn't help but look towards Cream's direction again. Ever since he first saw her that morning, something about her just seemed really out of place, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Until it unexpectedly hit him right then and there. "Cream? Where's Cheese?" he asked, referring to Cream's light blue chao friend. That chao would always flutter about wherever the bunny girl was around. But it has been absent all day today and no one had even pointed that out.

"I... don't know," Cream said quietly with a hint of sadness. "He hasn't shown up for three days. The only time Cheese has ever done this was last summer when he was upset with me... but I can't think of anything I've done to make him so angry." She sniffled a bit, turning her head away from her friends.

On the other hand, Tails had an inquiring look upon him. Three days? They may have found Amy's note this very morning, but they hadn't seen her for two whole days before that. Was it possible she has already been gone that long along with Cheese? And _if_ that was true, what would Eggman want them _both_ for? The little genius' mind was already reeling with questions and theories as he led his friends towards his workshop.

---

She had kicked and screamed and done whatever she could freely do to get out of Eggman's clutches, but to no avail. She stopped wailing, but didn't bother to wipe the tears that still hung from her eyes and down to her chin. Allowing herself to be led, Amy walked at Eggman's pace. As she did this, she stared down at her feet. The fuzzy blue slippers she wore brought back memories of Cream and Cheese. They would be so devastated to find her home empty... _'I don't know if they'll be able to take it,'_ she thought.

Something occured that allowed her to lift her head. Eggman had abruptly stopped walking and let go of her arm. She used this short second to rub her arm in the spot where she had been grabbed, the pain still throbbing in it like a palpitating heartbeat. Seeing this as a chance to run, Amy turned the other way and before she could even sprint two steps, Eggman grabbed her and lifted her into the air by her shoulders. Amy cursed herself mentally. This wouldn't have been a problem if she were as fast as Sonic. Refusing to stare at Eggman in the eye, she turned her head and closed her eyes tightly, somewhat expecting him to strike her or spit up words of greedy triumph into her face.

The evil doctor's laugh echoed in the large, warehouse-sized area they were currently in. "You aren't going anywhere!" he said.

They had reached the end-- a section packed with computers and experimental machines along with old creations of Robotnik's, including very early prototypes of the Metal Sonic and E-series battle robots. A machine looking very much like the combination of a containment pod and an electric chair sat in a corner, isolated from all the other creations. Amy guessed this machine held some sort of significance in this villain's current plot. She discovered how right she was when Eggman strapped her into the pod, unable to move her ams and legs. The cuffs that held her tightened around her ankles and wrists every time she attempted to use force, thus pinning her harder against the uncomfortable contraption.

She looked above her head at the array of tubes that ran alongside the walls of the pod. The lid was not closed over her yet, so she could still see Eggman lingering in front of her, typing a code onto the small computer connected to the gadget. "What are going to do to me?" she demanded to know.

Dr. Eggman didn't bother to look up from his work as he spoke. "Well, Ms. Rose..." he began, still click-clacking away on the keyboard. "As a scientist, I am always in need of a reason and explanation for my latest projects. And since there's no one else around to boast to, allow me to illustrate this newfound scheme of mine to you."

Amy rolled her eyes. Not only was she the victim of this ill-minded scheme, but she was also the one to suffer through his lengthy diagnosis.

"But before that, I'd like to demonstrate its potential." He took a few steps to the right, revealing a blanketed object that Amy couldn't have seen before due to Eggman's plump physique. A thick cloth was draped over an object that looked very much like a box, but the most peculiar thing about it was that there was a visible red glow beneath it moving about. The doctor stepped up to it and grabbed the cloth, grinning wildly toward the pink hedgehog's direction and sending a chill down her spine. "Presenting exhibit number one!" he cried out, pulling away the cloth to reveal the hidden object.

Amy screamed in pure horror, her pupils receded and her face instantly turning pale at the sight. Cheese the chao stood on both legs at the bottom of a tiny cage, its eyes glowing blood red. Its once angelic, cotton candy wings were now a jagged and menacing black. It growled savagely, baring sharp, inhuman teeth at the doctor and the girl. Sobbing, Amy shut her eyes tightly, trying to erase that horrible image from her mind. But it was just too horrendous for words. "You monster!" she yelled, her closed eyes sprouting tears. "How could you do this to an innocent chao?"

Eggman ignored the question and covered the creature's cage with the cloth. "Five years ago today, I had begun a secret project unlike anything I've ever attempted to create. Not a weapon, not a transporter, but a chemical. A unique and powerful substance that could safely shut down a creature's nervous system and act as a sort of robotic serum. I had held the project into a hiatus while I tried to work out some kinks in its system, but I decided now it is time to unveil it." He smiled to himself as he continued to explain. "Each dose of this artificial serum is different, each having to do with a specific command. For example, the serum inserted into this chao turned him into a creature with the bloodthristy urge to kill, yet it is able to be controlled by a binary code..." He stepped out of sight for a few moments. Eggman rummaged through a selection of large beakers until he found the right one. It was labeled in red letters with the words _'Zenith A.I. Serum'. _"While the one which I am about test will give its 'recipient' unlimited power and makes him or her obey every command it is given."

Amy Rose could only watch in panic as Eggman emptied the beaker's contents into the machine, so it could be fed into her body. "Now, don't be afraid if you feel any discomfort in your digestive system. This needed to be done with a recently satisfied stomach so that the serum juices would flow into every corner of your being along with your food, not just in your nervous system." (That explained why she had been starved for three days.) "Just think, Ms. Rose..." he said with an excited sneer. "By the time you awaken, you will become the Real ultimate lifeform." And with those last words, he reached over her head and closed the pod, leaving her in the darkness.

She found herself hyperventilating, letting her fear take over reason. So many questions were left unanswered. Will she remember any of this when it was over? What did he mean when the said the Real ultimate lifeform? Does that mean she'll become more powerful than Sonic or Shadow? Though that wasn't a bad thought at first, she grew worried for the safety of her friends. If she was to have these 'superpowers' and had to fullfill all of Eggman's demands, she could not stop herself from destroying them.

Amy cried. _She had to get out of here!_

Her thoughts went interrupted when searing pain entered her body. "No! No, I can't let this happen!_ Noooo!_" She could see or hear nothing but her own screams as the artificial serum was being injected into the wrists via the cuffs that were holding her down. It was a slow, burning feeling not unlike molten magma slowly flowing through the veins and heading towards the heart, hardening it into a hot, flaming metal. Beads of sweat ran down her face. Her stomach churned violently, now feeling the cursed chemical build up from her stomach to her esophagus. Her screams tried to drown out the pain until her voice grew tired. "Can't let it happen... can't... gotta get out..."

The burning pain was slowly receding until it was gone. Amy sighed, feeling absolutely no difference within her at all. She could still remember her home, her friends, her love... it was all there. Her heart rejoiced despite the situation. Maybe the serum failed. But then again, in this darkness, she could not see what had become of her appearance. She felt a lot more stiff than she was before and after a few seconds of trying, she realized she couldn't feel the cuffs around her wrist and ankles anymore. Why, she couldn't even move her own fingers!

A loud hiss entered the silent pod along with a gas that made her eyes droop. Before she unwillingly feel into a deep sleep, the last thing she remembered was being very, very cold.


	4. Chapter 3

**- Chapter 3: Faiths Restored -**

Among the vigilant quartet searching for Amy, Rouge seemed to be the most concerned of them all. At least, on the outward appearance. She constantly groaned to herself, knowing they weren't making any progress. It was a big world out there and Dr. Eggman could be anywhere he pleased; but here they were, searching without a lead and equipped with nothing but hope. Hope that they would not be too late to stop Eggman's horrible scheme, whatever it was.

The nocturnal thief stretched her wings and glided above Sonic, Knuckles and Shadow as the men began to slow their sprint into a half-hearted jog. She pressed on ahead of them, flapping her wings to gain momentum. "Okay, guys..." she said, mentally strategizing as she spoke. "The sun's already set and it's getting pretty dark. But I think that'll only give me the advantage, so be sure to stay close." Rouge expected a reply from below or at least a grunt of approval, but she heard nothing. She couldn't even hear their panting after the countless hours of running. "Guys?" She dipped her wings and did a full 180 in the air to see why there was so much silence. The boys weren't following her anymore. In fact, they were way behind. "Hey!"

By the time Rouge reached them, the three had made themselves comfortable on the ground. Sonic sat on the street floor with his elbows on his knees and his head resting in the palms of his hands. Shadow sat at the edge of the curb, his face buried into his hands and muttering incoherently to himself. Knuckles, apart from the hedgehogs, was lying on the sidewalk, breathing so heavily he could barely talk. His legs twiched from running, which lightly amused Sonic. The cobalt hero chuckled to himself every time his red friend's limbs went into spasm. Rouge's boot heels clicked loudly when she landed before them, her face impatient and arms akimbo.

"What are you doing?" she cried out, causing the two hedgehogs to look up startled. "We have to keep looking!" She raised her arms for emphasis, but it didn't really excite any of the three.

"Give us a break, Rouge! We've been running around all day!" Sonic shot back. "We've gone everywhere Eggman would have nested and I've circled the metropolis five or six times already! I even skipped lunch for this!" He sighed and patted his empty stomach. A growl emanated from his gut and he couldn't help but point this out. "Speaking of which, I'm hungry."

If Rouge could have been any more angrier than what she already was, steam would have emerged from her ears. "How could you think of food at a time like this? This is Amy-- _Amy _is in trouble! A-a-and you're just sitting here like you could care less!" she spat.

"Hey hey hey!" Sonic sprang up, suddenly offended. "I _do _care about Amy! Why do you think I'm out here wasting away daylight looking for her?" His tone was harsh, but his eyes read such pure honesty that made Rouge feel guilty almost immediately. Sonic softened his expression, though kept his seriousness. "You have no right to judge me just because I'm beat, Rouge."

The bat girl sighed. "You're right. I... I'm sorry." She scratched the back of her head and sat on the curb next to Shadow. "I'm just so worried that... I'm not thinking clearly, I guess." She looked up at the evening sky. A streak of golden orange covered the horizon, blending in with the indigo purple heavens. The moon shined in a dull orange behind the curtain of smog. The sight would have been breathtaking if it wasn't for the air and noise pollution that crowded the grand metropolis. Rouge shook her head miserably. To think Amy could be suffering during a beautiful night that she'd normally appreciate. She broke out of her trance when spotting Sonic sitting next to her and glanced from him to Shadow. "Now what do we do?" she murmured her question.

For a few moments, no words were exchanged. There was only the sound of Knuckles' heavy breathing behind them. He has not even budged from his spot on the ground.

Finally, Shadow spoke up brazenly for the first time since they left the house. "Even if we _do _find Eggman, a plot of this magnitude you suspect it to be can't be dealt with so easily." Rouge nodded in agreement, deep down admitting to herself that running off like she had done wasn't the best idea. Sonic scoffed silently to himself and couldn't help but feel he was being robbed of his spotlight every time his 'duplicate' spoke. "I think we should go back to see Tails... I wouldn't be surprised if he's already figured out something we need to know." The ebony hedgehog smiled at the thought and stood. Sonic and Rouge did the same.

Sonic stared down at the prostrate echidna with an amused grin. "So... who's carrying Knuckles?"

---

Cream stood on her toes every three seconds, swaying her body and waiting for Tails to start his machine. With its compact size and dull colors, the device wasn't something utterly impressive to the average person. But the little rabbit trusted Tails' knowledge and knew this little machine would do them so much good in this mission.

Tails frowned upon his little gadget, currently regretting he had not used it very often. It was a simple tracking device for each of his friends, but he has never found much use in it. He already had several locators and sonars built into the Cyclone, but they were short-ranged and meant to be used in battle; they would not aid him in a wide-spread search for Amy. The device had gathered some dust and its buttons were a little rusty, but when wriggling the power lever on, the machine hummed to life. Tails grinned and sighed in relief. _'Now we're getting somewhere!'_

"It's working!" Big observed, clapping in enthusiasm. Cream joined in the clapping, giggling non-stop with high expectations.

"Now let's give this old thing a try," Tails said with a smile, typing in the search command on the tiny keyboard on the bottom. He had to press some specific buttons several times, for most were rusted together. He pressed Enter and waited while the tracking device processed Amy's information. Unfortunately, it took him right back where he started. The young fox scowled when the tracking device blipped the location of Amy's house on the screen. "Bu-but... Amy's tracker is in her shoes! She always wears shoes wherever she goes, so I thought..." his voice trailed off. He slumped onto his chair with pure disappointment and Cream did no better at hiding hers. She buried her face into Big's fur, tired of letting her tears fall.

Big also sat downhearted, heaving a loud sigh and patting Cream's head. "Now what do we do?" he asked Tails.

The two-tailed kit looked down at the ground, like if his eyes were searching for an answer below his feet. He shook his head, about to voice his cluelessness... then another thought emerged from his clouded mind. He remembered Cream's missing chao, Cheese, and his suspicion that it too could have been kidnapped by Eggman as well. If this really was true, he had another chance. He turned back to the device resting on his desk and reset the coordinates.

The entrance to the room slammed open, but Tails did not even lift his head from his work, knowing all too well that Sonic had entered the workshop. "Tails, you better not be playing video games! You should be working on finding Eggman," the blue hedgehog said, walking over to the little fox and looking over his shoulder. The gadget did look like an old handheld video game, but he smiled when noticing Tails was at work running default searches. He rubbed his "little bro's" head in encourgament and sat on the couch far across his desk.

Not a minute later, Shadow and Knuckles also entered and sat beside Sonic. Sonic stared at Knuckles with a teasing smile. "How'cha doing, Sleeping Beauty?" he asked him with a grin that would have made a Cheshire cat jealous. In return, the echidna frowned and punched him hard in the arm.

Sonic would have probably kicked him back, but Tails' discovery prevented a fight from breaking out. "I got it! I got it!" Tails cried out happily, bouncing off his desk chair and running towards the rest of the gang with his tracking device still at hand. "I couldn't find Amy, but I did a search for Cheese, 'cuz I remembered that I installed a tracker in his bowtie, too!" He pointed at the screen, but most did not even bother to look; they were too busy expressing their confusion.

"Tails... unless you weren't paying attention, we are looking for _Amy..._ A-m-y..." Sonic said slowly, like if he was addressing a one-year-old.

"I know that!" Tails shot back and stomped his foot. "But unless **_you_** weren't paying attention, Cheese is missing too." He gestured towards Cream, who was the only one peering over his shoulder to the device with interest. Sonic blinked, realizing just then that the little girl had gone all day without her chao friend. Truthfully, no one ever seems to notice the chao's presense unless he speaks up for himself or if he's mentioned. "He's been gone just as long, too. And I think wherever we find Cheese, we'll find Amy," Tails said.

"So where is this Cheese?" Shadow asked.

The tracking device's screen blipped into a far and desolate location. It showed a clear, satellite image of canyons and hills with absoulutely no sign of buildings, landholdings or technology around (that is, to the naked eye). Everybody gathered 'round to look at it. "It's a little deserted land far under the old Bullet Station!" Tails cried out, recognizing the place all of a sudden. "That's where Eggman's hiding!" He was so sure himself, he dared not use the words 'maybe' or 'should'.

"Alright!" Sonic whooped. "Good work, Tails! Let's hightail it back to the desert!"

_CLICK._

"Rouge! Stop taking pictures!" Shadow growled. "It's really getting on my nerves!"

"Oh, come on! Memories are being made!" she protested.

---

Even though they knew where to go, Tails knew better than to foolishly run up there and start a fight. This was something Eggman didn't want them to know and the madman was trying to keep it that way. It was a really unpredictable situation for them all and they had to be prepared. So despite their worries, he tried to convince everyone to wait a couple more days before striking. Of course, no one took the idea very well. Especially Sonic.

"_WHAT?_" he blurted out. "Are you _seriously _expecting me to just sit around while Ro_butt_nik toys with my patience?"

Tails tried to explain. "I'm sorry, Sonic... but I think it's best for us--"

"Best for **_us_**? What about what's best for Amy? What if Rouge is right about her being in _real danger_?" His head looked like it was about to explode.

"But--"

Sonic groaned and turned his back on the kit. "You know what? Forget it." He stormed out of the room, rubbing his temples to ease his throbbing head. "Call me when it's time to go." He slammed the door shut. Tails' ears drooped sadly as he heard Sonic stomp up the stairs and into his bedroom.

He was really upset, but no one was really all that surprised. Being the on-the-go hero that he is, he would never stand idly by when he knows where trouble is located. If it was his choice, he'd go wherever Eggman goes without thinking it twice.

Tails sighed loudly and turned to face Knuckles, Cream, Rouge, Big and Shadow. "I guess you guys can spend the night," he muttered sadly. "I added two extra guestrooms down in the basement recently and there's three seats in the living room. I'll wake you up if there's any more news." With that said, he walked back to his desk where he would more than likely spend the night awake.

---

_Crr...rreeee...eaaa...aakk..._

He opened the door as slowly as he could, but the hinges still creaked loudly. Sonic winced every time they made that annoying snapping sound. _'Stupid door,'_ he thought after he had opened it far enough to go through. The floorboard was no more silent, either. He took slow and careful steps, often remembering which tiles were the most hollow underneath and avoiding them. And the staircase? Oh, boy.

Halfway down them, Sonic accidently stepped on the dreaded Eighth Step. It made a light popping noise that made Sonic jump about three feet into the air and slide all the way down the handbar to the bottom floor. Thankfully, he landed on the carpet flooring which lightly cushioned his fall and muffled his landing. He grinned in relief. He was home-free now. None of the others had ever stirred in their sleep. He walked quickly and carefully through the living room, passing by Cream, Big and Knuckles' sleeping forms. _'I guess that means Rouge and Shadow took the guestrooms. Good thing, too... they're the lightest sleepers.'_

Sonic was worried about opening the front door at first, but if everyone could sleep over Big's snoring, he had nothing to worry about. Just the sound of it rattled his bones. He bit his lip to keep from rejoicing. He was practically out of here already! _'Piece of cake! I'll be back with Amy and Cheese before they even realize I'm gone!'_ He beamed as he turned the knob, ready to run out to the canyons like a bolt of lightning. Outside it was completely dark with only a few stars and the cresent moon casting silver light onto the houses and foliage. Just enough to light his way. He faced the door just for a second to lock it, and when turning back, he was face-to-face with another pair of eyes.

"Oh jeez!" he cried out and stumbled back, almost slamming his head against the doorframe. He clutched his chest and stared hatefully at Shadow the Hedgehog, who was standing before him. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

Shadow smirked, which pretty much answered that question in his own, twisted way. "I had a feeling you'd sneak out like this in the middle of the night. Although I wouldn't really call all that racket you made upstairs 'sneaking'."

The blue hedgehog stood and dusted himself. He had half a mind set to drive a fist into the guy's mouth, but he decided it was not the time. He planted his heels on the ground and mocked his rival's stony glare. "Well, I'm going and you can't stop me!" he said in an attempt to intimidate the red quilled hedgehog.

Shadow simply shrugged. "I won't," he said plainly, catching Sonic a bit off guard. "But I will say this: you are, by far, the stupidest guy I've ever met. And most of that stupidity comes from your actions. If you won't even listen to a wise kid like Tails, you really have nothing but helium and ego in that balloon head of yours."

"You have no right to criticize the size of my head when yours is as big as mine," muttered Sonic under his breath.

There was hateful silence between the two that seemed to go on for hours. No matter when, where and what the situation was, Shadow always had this intimidating way about him; even when he does nothing about said circumstance. Looking unbreakable on the outside, Sonic was slowly breaking apart on the inside. The sun would start to rise in about five hours and Shadow had him pinned like an anchor to the porch all because he was having a psychological warfare. _'Go__tta run, gotta run, gotta run,'_ he thought to himself impatiently. The urge to run past his adversary was getting really, really tempting, but he couldn't do it. Shadow --him being unbelievably honest-- would tell the others. Sonic couldn't let him do that.

He _wouldn't_. The following question that escaped his lips could not be avoided. It was only way to keep the guy's mouth shut.

He sighed. "You wanna come with?" he asked half-heartedly.

Shadow's lips curved into a smile and he patted Sonic on the shoulder. "Why, faker... I'm so touched," he said with an extremely fake tone of sympathy. "I didn't know you cared." It wasn't long until he started chuckling at Sonic's annoyed look. He now addressed him seriously. "Sure. I might as well go to keep you from causing those occasional screw ups when you don't follow the rules." He turned and ran down the path, getting a head start.

Sonic shook his head and bolted after him. _'What did I get myself into?'_


	5. Chapter 4

_**Shmeeko** - You don't know how much I appreciate your encouragement. Thank you very much!_

_**Samantha** - Thank you very much for your review! I'm sorry I never got around to explain it, but I did mean to put that 'mistake' in there. It's a lazy sentence-- Sonic really meant to say something like "You wanna come along?". I know a few guys who aren't very 'grammar conscious' that say stuff like this, and I just imagined Sonic doing the same. ;_

**- Chapter 4: Faiths Crushed -**

The westernmost Rail Canyons were home to dozens of abandoned coal mines hundreds of feet over the surface of the desert. How this valuable ebony black material got into these colossal stone towers was forever to be a mystery. But despite all the mining machinery and the armored locomotives that prevented the trains from scraping against the narrow sides on the tunnels, the land that resided below them was terribly desolate. Down below, there was dead air that hung close to the ground. No vegetation, no wildlife, and of course, no water for miles and miles. A pretty decent place for evil to make its home.

Sonic could feel it from within him... Doctor Eggman was around here somewhere.

Digging his heels into the ground, he screeched to a halt, leaving a twenty-foot long skidmark behind him. He was almost completely certain this was the exact place he had seen displayed in Tails' tracking device. He felt kind of sorry for not thinking about bringing it along with him in the first place, but it didn't matter that much anymore. What mattered now was finding Eggman and giving him a lesson he'd never forget.

Sonic could tell he was currently facing east because of the numerous stars that dotted the pitch black heavens. Wondering if dawn was nearing, he turned westward to see if there were any signs of early aurora. Instead, he was once again met by Shadow the Hedgehog's rust red eyes. They must have been more than four feet apart from each other, but Sonic suffered the same jolt of surprise he had on his own front porch awhile ago.

"Gah!" he staggered back, almost tripping on a dead root. This time, Shadow couldn't help but grin at his rival's jumpyness. Sonic, however, was far from thrilled. The dark hedgehog had been so silent throughout the trip that the cobalt hero had momentarily forgotten about him. He began, "I swear, if you do that one more time...!"

"...you'll whine me to death?" Shadow chuckled. Almost as if he had forseen it, he sidestepped to the left just as Sonic jumped towards where he previously stood, trying to smack him. Instead, the irate hedgehog swung at nothing but air. "Give it a rest, Sonic. Let's just do what he came here to do."

Muttering profanities under his breath, Sonic brushed away the sand from where he had fallen on his knees. He'd set his priorities straight some other time. Right now, Amy would have to count on them both so they could work together and achieve their goal. And he himself had to respect that. Besides, Shadow was not much of a rival anymore... not since his presumed death (which he strangely does not remember) and reappearance. He changed... and he knew better than to steer him wrong.

Sighing loudly, Sonic sharply nodded yes in understanding. His head back in the game-- he was ready to take on anything. "Okay, so according to Tails, the base must be either cloaked or underground." With the tip of his shoe, he dug into the sand and tapped into it as he spoke. He didn't really know what he was searching for-- a metallic surface, an unusual drop or rise in temperature-- just as long as he found a clue.

Of course, this approach was a bit odd, considering Eggman's new location could have been anywhere in this ten-thousand square mile desert. Shadow just couldn't help but point that out. "You know, if you stick to this method, we just might find it by tomorrow night if we're lucky. Why don't you just run around in circles and see if you hit an invisible wall?" he smirked.

"Unless you got a better idea, lay off the jokes, will you?"

---------

A red bulb situated over the main computer began to flicker; it's glow intensifying every time it blinked. Noticing this, Eggman rushed over to shut off the silent alarm. He once had a bigger, louder and farther ranged alarm that he could see throughout his entire base before, but had to remove it because it would react to every little thing that would scamper across the deserted valley. Tumbleweeds don't really count as lethal intruders, after all.

He switched the image on the computer to the security cameras outside to take a quick look. _'It's probably just another snake,'_ he thought to himself, not even sure why he even bothered to check. But fortunate for him that he did, considering that as soon as he saw who was trudging over his new hidden settlement, he was able to prepare himself in advance. He grinned insanely as he spyed on the two hedgehogs sprinting across the landscape. They were clearly visible over the night vision lens of the cameras.

"A little earlier than I expected," Trying to sustain his apparent glee, he stepped over to the shut containment pod where Amy was being kept. Its fluid tank was empty, signaling that the Zenith Serum transfer was complete. "But I think it's time we give Sonic just a little taste of what's coming!" With his remote device, he entered a code that allowed the cuffs that held his prisoner's limbs to retract. The pod hissed open and the life-sustaining vapors that kept the girl at bay escaped from the machine. She awoke from her slumber, her sight fixated on the evil doctor. An ominous moment of silent marvel overcame Eggman. She did nothing more but wait for his command; and that's just the way he wanted it.

"Rise, Amy... it's time for a little target practice."

---------

They couldn't have been wondering around for more than four hours... but it sure did feel that way. The sky was still blanketed with the silver glow of thousands of stars; bona fide evidence that dawn has still not surfaced the horizon. The hogs, however, were far from the thought of giving up. Sonic had something to prove and he would not return home until it was proven. Currently, they were taking it slow-- looking out for the small details in the landscape that may lead them to Eggman's new hideout.

Shadow held out a hand in front of Sonic. "Stop," he breathed. His left ear faintly twitched and he spun his head in that direction. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Sonic's ears also twitched as his acute hearing searched for any peculiar sound that might have interested his temporal partner. He paused to scratch his left ear for a second and mimicked Shadow's reaction by turning left. The silhouette of a familiar female hedgehog had seldom appeared right in front of their eyes, just a bit more than a mile away from them. He stood on his toes for a moment before making a bound forward. The slow trot that he was previously doing instanly changed into a mad dash. "That's her! Amy!" he cried out. Whether she was teleported there, just walked up and out of the ground or jumped out from behind a rock, Sonic did not care. There she was and this could only mean that this rescue mission was going to be quicker than he expected. _'Man, are the others gonna love me when I return with Amy while they were all just lying around like a bunch of sissies!' _he thought with glee.

However, Shadow found this situation to be a little _too_ fortunate. After all, the sound he had picked up could not have been caused by Amy. It had sounded... robotic. His first guess was an ambush.

Follwing him closely, his objective was to silently warn Sonic about his suspicions. When he opened his mouth to speak, the words he intended to say were muted by a loud gasp from Sonic. Amy's back was turned to them and the blue hedgehog had reached for the pink girl's shoulder only to withdraw his hand just as quickly. His eyes widened as he took a closer look at the immobile Amy that stood in front of him.

She turned around. Her red dress and gloves looked like they had gone through an inferno. Almost every inch of the fabric was burnt black as night, edges almost tearing apart. Her feet were bare, but also blackened and dirty with the ashes that were once Cream's night slippers. Her skin was gruesomely pale and lifeless; almost as if her carnation pink fur was ripped away from her original self and placed on that of an android's. But what Sonic just couldn't be torn away from was her eyes. They were once beautiful and glistening pools of emerald green... now they were cold and dark-- colorless and devoid of feeling.

Under the moonlight, her presence was absolutely beyond eerie. Sonic stumbled as he backed away one step, his face twisted in shock and incredulity. He held the hand he had touched her shoulder with, remembering it had felt cold as ice. Shadow may have looked less disturbed than Sonic, but that did not make him any less shocked at this chilling situation. This creature couldn't be the sweet Amy Rose they've been looking for. "Who are you?" Sonic screamed at her, suddenly getting most of his composure back. "Where's Amy?"

The 'Amy lookalike' (or so they thought it was) responded by effortlessly giving both male hedgehogs a face full of fist simultaneously. The blow was enough to plow them into the floor, stunning them for a few seconds as she dashed away from them like a maniac on the loose. On his feet in a flash, Sonic growled at the departing figure, cradling his jaw where he had been punched. Out the corner of his eye, he spotted Shadow also standing and equally pissed-off.

"She knows something. Come on, after her!" Sonic shouted. He was on her heels in no time flat, but what he didn't see coming was that the suspect had alreadly stopped running and made a sweeping kick that knocked him face down on the ground, kissing the sand and skidding a couple of feet past her. Obviously (with her being under Eggman's control), she took a brief second to laugh mockingly at the cobalt hedgehog. Hands on her hips and head tossed back, she let her guard down long enough for Shadow to grab her arms from behind and pin them behind her back. Yet he did not count on the fact that supernatural-like strength flowed through Amy's body.

Before he could even blink at the realization of his mistake, the red quilled hog was thrown over Amy's back by Amy bizarrely unhinging her joints and tossing him over her head and against his own strenght. He painfully landed in a heap right next to his fallen counterpart. He couldn't believe it. The girl was slapping them aside as if they were paper dolls in a wind tunnel!

She casually walked over to the sprawled heroes like she would if she was taking a leisure walk in a park. Her smile resembled a forced smirk-- almost artificial. Crouching down in front of Sonic, blackened gloves on her knees, she looked just about ready to gloat. Yet she didn't. Sonic was brushing the sand away from his face, but when he opened his eyes, Amy welcomed him by kicking sand into his eyes. He cried out in surprise at this, putting his hands over his tightly shut eyelids. "That was a cheap shot!" he couldn't help but exclaim.

Sonic shuddered inwardly when he heard her voice for the first time. "What are you going to do about it?" she whispered wickedly with words so hollow and dark that they nearly seemed venomous.

"THIS!" Shadow exclaimed, answering her rhetorical question and slamming his foot hard against the side of Amy's head. He had stood up while the other two were distracted and his mind was set on knocking this pale nuisance out cold. Unfortunately, he had done this with the tip of his foot and severly hurt himself without inflicting nothing more than a look of surprise from both Amy and Sonic. He fell on his rump and clutched his throbbing foot, seething and swearing under his breath. The hit had simply bounced off as if he had striked at a steel wall! And Amy? She just lightly rubbed the side of her head and giggled malevolently at Shadow's failed attempt to render her unconscious.

What she did next was something the two males could have avoided, but were too stupified and distracted to defend themselves. She reached for both their throats and virtually lifted them from the ground. This was quite the scary sight considering that Amy was much shorter than the two of them. She didn't even seem to be putting a lot of energy or effort in this either... like if she was holding up a couple of rag dolls.

Sonic and Shadow kicked and thrashed, trying to escape the iron grip. Amy just smirked forcefully. "The more you struggle, the tighter I'll hold on," she commented. Taking her words like advice, Sonic went limp. Shadow stopped thrashing about as well, but was still striving to pry Amy's fingers away from his neck. "Yeah, try all you want, big shot," she said lowly, glaring at him. "You can't possibly think you can go up against the Ultimate Lifeform, don't you?"

A horribly thick pause followed.

In a world where expectations were constantly quite low for him, Shadow could not bear to be taken away from what he had always been familiar with. Even if it was just a mere title. To hear those cruel words escape from the terrorizing girl was like a stab to his heart with a knife dipped in salt. He ceased the struggle, crimson irises blankly staring into hers. He did not even consider the fact that she may have just voiced a lie; it had hit home and he had fallen speechless. Sonic, however, had no problem voicing his confusion towards the statement.

"Wuh-wait! Hold the phone," he stuttered, speaking as well as he could despite the fact he was being choked. "I think you got that backwards... I'd expect Shadow here to say that instead of you. Isn't _he _the so-called ultimate lifeform?"

"...not anymore!"

What felt like a mighty electrical jolt against his chest escaped from the menace's left palm with a sickly _CRACKLE_, propelling Sonic away from her form. The force of the jolt had knocked him far and out cold before he could even hit the ground. He landed on his side in an unwholesome manner and stayed unmoving. Amy repeated this maneuver with her remaining victim and watched with fulfillment as he also landed prostrate in the desert sand.

Both of them suffered of burns in their neck and chest... but they would survive.

After all, that was the way Eggman wanted it.

She looked down at the two and shook her head at just how pitiful they were. "This was just a taste of what's coming, hedgeheads," she said in a voice unlike her own. "The Amy you knew is gone... and the Doctor will have the revenge he always wanted."

With these closing words, she turned around and ran back to Eggman's hideout before they woke up. The tracks of her bare feet would soon be swept away by the morning breeze. What she had said to them had been a bit of a half-truth, though. Yes, the blood that flowed through her veins was infected with the Zenith serum, making this program practically a part of her body. Her every move and word had to be confirmed by Eggman himself before she'd do it. But there was one thing the evil scientist could not permanently erase, and that was Amy's soul. It was her true self.

All the _real_ Amy could do was just watch as her body did these horrible actions... and pray that it was all just a nightmare that would soon end.


	6. Chapter 5

_A/N: Yes, this fic is supposedly 'discontinued', but I found this half finished chapter in my documents, remembered the readers that asked me to continue and... well, I gave this a shot again. I thought if I released this chapter, maybe it'd encourage me to keep going. I'm busy getting ready for college, so I don't have the time that I used to. Apologies to the few that actually liked this and I left hanging._

**- Chapter 5: Thoughts of the Troubled -**

_Now what was there to do?_

The hero's knees trembled as he slowly lifted his torso into a seating position. With a sour expression of pain, he looked down at his feet. The sand in his shoes made him itch. His head throbbed as if his palpitating heart had leapt up there. Touching his chest lightly, he was relieved to see that he had not suffered anything worse than a few burns. No bloody external injuries. But skin contact still burned like hell.

_How long have I been laying out here?_

Sonic sat slouched and unmoving. Every muscle in his body protested for even the slightest movement he made. He looked past Shadow's form and into the prime sky. He barely even noticed the thin golden strip of sunlight highlighting the horizon of the deserted valley, or when the dark latter character began to groggily stand up on his own. All he could think of was the humiliation he had gone through just before he was knocked out. He couldn't rid himself of the mental image of that bone-chattering synthetic smile he had seen on Amy's face. She had left in such haste, practically leaving them for dead. In fact, why _didn't_ she leave them for dead? Sonic wondered this to himself. Not that he was complaining; the cobalt hedgehog was very glad he was still living. But still... he was curious about her intentions.

_That thing... it couldn't have been Amy._

"I know what you're thinking," a voice broke his train of thought. Without even bothering to move his head, Sonic's strong emerald green eyes gazed up lazily at Shadow. "I was thinking the same thing. Unfortunately, it's not true." He said this in a low tone and crossed his arms over his chest like a wise parent breaking the bad news to an oblivious child.

_No... Not in a million years._

For a second, Sonic looked like he had just lost it. The world around him was out of focus and his head fell numb at the lack of blood rushing to his brain. Snapping out of his dizzy spell for a bit, he shook his head lightly and smiled a half-nervous, half-amused smile. "Wait. You can't be serious, can you?" he said in the midst of a chuckle. He searched for the answer within Shadow's crimson eyes and his smile faded. "Are you saying... that _thing _was... the real...?" He couldn't dare finish the question. His dizzy spell returned and suddenly he felt sick to his stomach.

Shadow merely nodded. "You can tease me about this all you want, but I swear I could see it in her eyes," he said. He stared down at his feet, recalling what he had felt under the gaze of that girl. "Beyond those dark, lifeless eyes, there was a soul trying to emerge from its prison. She's doing this against her will."

_Oh, God... I think I'm gonna be sick._

He sounded so sure that Sonic couldn't even find the guts to oppose his explanation. Maybe Sonic would have been more convinced if he would have seen 'Amy's soul' for himself, but he remembered how hard it was to look into those dark, empty eyes without feeling like you're turning into stone. He outstretched his legs and stood up in one swift manouver, forgetting the lightheaded feeling in his cranium and almost falling back again. "Well, if what you say is right, we hafta go find her again!" he insisted.

Shadow stared at him incredulously. "Were you dropped on your head? We can't do that!" he said, restraining the urge to knock some sense into the blue ego-maniac. "She was obviously just toying around with us-- she could have killed both of us in an instant--!"

"Yet she allowed us to survive!" Sonic shot back, finishing Shadow's sentence to his favor. "That means Eggman plans to make her more powerful to use against all of us! We gotta stop her _now _before anybody else gets hurt! If we can't fight her, we could at least try snapping her out of whatever mind control she's under." Taking that last idea into deep consideration, Sonic got ready to run. He walked past his dark adversary, giving him a momentary side glance. "I don't care if you come with me or not. I'm going to do something about this before it's too late." Satisfied with his comeback, Sonic sped off, kicking up the desert sand behind him as he sprinted at mach 2 speed.

_I'll show him. I'll show 'em all. I'm getting her back all on my own._

The remaining hedgehog just glowered at the ground where Sonic had stood on just seconds ago. He serenely closed his eyes, a method he had recently started when threatend to lash out on frustration. He had to do what he had to do. Turning the opposite direction, he headed back to town. As he ran, he watched as the sun peeked its majestic crown over the desert. Morning has arrived.

---------

A gentle clatter of closing steel doors. Light footsteps echoing in the large laboratory. Amy walks up to Eggman's control center and stops right behind his chair. He turns to face her with a grin. He had seen her at work... and was quite satisfied. "Good work, dear," he said in immense glee, patting her head and standing up before her. "You've proved yourself to be quite the ally! Then again,_ I _am the one controlling your actions!" He held up the remote device on his wrist and laughed loudly. Amy only stared ahead in her usual robotic state. No emotion was made to be shown by her shell unless Eggman purposely got her to do it. Every single taunt, statement and cackle of laughter she uttered as she fought Sonic and Shadow were provided by the doctor himself. No surprise there.

Eggman scratched his chin, mentally considering having Amy work with the rest of his artificial intelligence minions. But the idea was quickly rejected. She worked alone and that's how he wanted it to be. Instead, what he was currently thinking over now was Amy's wardrobe. It was her usual wear singed to the last thread with only small traces of rose red that went unharmed. It had its "evil aura", yes, but it wasn't very safe... considering that after a good amount of time it'll start to crumble into ashes. He turned to an area near the main computer and pressed an intercom button. "Find a unit to search proper attire for Ms. Rose to use," he ordered through a speaker. There's a blip in reply as he released the button.

An almost immediate response. The metallic doors slid open and a plain-featured droid entered the area, waving at Amy for her to follow. As she was required to always do, Amy's form turned her head to face Dr. Eggman. She awaits for her command by the doctor to leave, and when she recieves it, she carries it out. There was no decision she was permitted to make on her own.

---------

_There's always been something sacred about the primary circle of friends. Tails and Amy are two of my closest friends. When it comes to moments like this... it gets personal._

Sonic began to slow down, realizing he was running around in circles and getting nowhere. He had been venting. It angered him how Shadow could give up so easily, especially since he was never the kind of person to shrug, give a deadpanned "oh well, we tried", and walk away. If his history could speak for itself, it would say he was quite the opposite. Amy had never been a friend to Shadow, nor did she ever try to be. She had always seen him as her hero's adversary, and that meant he was hers as well. But it still seemed uncharacteristic for him to be so... unreasonable. He practically said the situation was hopeless.

_Is it? Could it be that I have no chance to do this on my own?_

Sonic refused to believe that. Going out of his way again, he turned around and stopped in the exact spot where he swore he had seen Amy appear before him. He didn't have much of a photographic memory, but he was almost entirely sure this was the place. He looked up and down, left and right, trying to figure out what to do next. Up was not an option...

"So down we go."

The hedgehog knew his abilities could take him farther than just getting from point A to point B. He ran in a 3-yard circle around this spot, creating a dust devil that reached far into the dawning sky and opened up a new route under his feet. Kicking sand into the air and creating a hole that led down, down, down, down... until sand was no longer under his feet, but a floor of steel that was most likely the roof of an underground base. He grinned triumphantly. His assumption had been correct, despite what Shadow had thought earlier. Sonic half-wished he was still around so he could give him an enormously satisfying "in-your-face!" comment.

"Now to find a way inside this tin can..."

---------

_Somebody... please... let me out..._

Inside the pink hedgehog's body, a dormant soul cried to herself. She was so alone. So afraid. She cringed and wailed in agony... or at least she _would _have... if her body could only respond to her feelings.

_Let me out...!_

But this wasn't so. This body was hers no longer. It was controlled by that black-hearted man... and she was the innocent among this. She was trapped in it. Almost like if she was back in that cold cage again, starving to escape.

_Please... I can't take it...!_

She could not even observe as her outer shell was led by the droid into a small, secluded place no bigger than a walk-in closet. A cage with no bars. The door slammed shut behind her and she was left alone. The room was dimly lit, but bright enough to see where she was stepping. It wasn't like there was much to look at; the floor, walls, and ceiling were as grey and lifeless as the rest of the lair. Fabric dark as night lay in her arms. Her body mechanically got to changing from her burned rags to the identically styled dress, long steel pointed boots and white gloves.

Her true self would have gagged and objected to wear such a horrid and uncheerful thing, making it more and more apparent that Amy was under obvious mind control.

As soon as she was finished with this casual chore, her eyes automatically closed... like a robot commanded into sleep mode. She wasn't tired at all... but she had no say in this. A muffled thump came from above. The makeshift roof over her head dented until an unknown force pushed a small panel down. The clatter of the tile hitting the equally metallic floor shattered the dead silence in the room. Sonic dropped down through the aperture along with a small cascade of sand.

"Well, that's lucky!" the blue hedgehog mused when seeing Amy all by her lonesome. "You okay, Ames?"

_Sonic! You came to rescue me! Oh, I knew you'd come through!_

Amy would have done anything to have her body _at least _project a smile, but it stayed robotically rigid. She only hoped Sonic would do the right thing and confront Eggman first before taking her...

"Well, no sense hanging around here!" he piped, grabbing her arm and dragging her up and out . "Lets go! Coming back home might help you snap out of that trance you seem to be in!"

...away.

_Oh, you are such an IDIOT sometimes._


End file.
